Raipur Oct 28 PTI Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday said the United Progressive Alliance UPA has always been committed to working towards uplifting the downtrodden people tribals labourers and farmers and make them economically empowered Addressing the inaugural function of the five-day long National Tribal Dance Festival and Rajyotsav 2021 statehood celebration as a chief guest here in Chhattisgarhs capital Raipur he described the event as an honour towards those communities which have been isolated and exploited for centuries Meanwhile Congress leader Rahul Gandhis message was read out at the event in which he hailed the tribals for being at the forefront of preserving the countrys ancient wisdom The event is being held at Science College ground here In his speech Soren praised his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel for organising the tribal dance festival and said It is not only a dance event but it is a respect towards those classes referring to tribals which had been isolated and exploited for centuries We talk a lot about tribals tribal development departments are made ministers are made but even today this class is in a deprived state This effort of Chhattisgarh CM of holding dance fest will definitely prove to be a milestone and this class will get an opportunity to come forward he said He said he also belonged to a tribal community in Jharkhand and reaching the top position in the state was a big challenge for him His father Shibu Soren had also served as chief minister of Jharkhand He further said tribal communities have always struggled to protect their culture and tradition and such events will give them hope strength and energy in this direction We all know tribals do not possess so much money and their assets are actually their farms livestock and forest produce I am happy that Baghel ji has been providing a minimum support price on forest produce I believe unless the villages become prosperous the country the state and the country will not become prosperous either he added Therefore we have to focus on increasing the income and purchasing power of those living in the villages Our UPA alliance has always been committed towards uplifting the weaker poor labourers tribal backward and minorities he added The Congress which leads the UPA is also an ally of Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha JMM government in Jharkhand Citing that the risk of COVID-19 infection was still not completely over Soren asked people to follow the safety protocols during the event Speaking on the occasion Baghel said the event is aimed at providing a platform to tribals all over the world so that they could know about each other their culture and strengths so that they can march ahead together on the path of growth Meanwhile he also highlighted his governments schemes and steps taken for the welfare of tribals in the state Rahul Gandhi expressed his best wishes to the Chhattisgarh government for organising the dance fest and the participants in his greeting message read out by Rajya Sabha MP BK Hariprasad at the function In the message Gandhi stated Our Adivasi brothers and sisters are repositories of our heritage and they have been at the forefront of preserving our ancient wisdom Every folk song dance painting and sculpture tells a unique story and provides a window into the fascinating world of our ancestors It is through these living traditions that societies and communities keep their collective memories alive I am happy that the Chhattisgarh government has been working proactively to support and recognize our Adivasi artists the message said He extended his best wishes for the event and said that this event will further strengthen the spirit of diversity that is at the very core of the idea of India it added More than a thousand artistes from 27 states and 6 union territories of the country and seven foreign nations have been participating in the Tribal Dance Festival which will conclude on October 30 a government official said As part of the five-day event an exhibition and other programmes centered on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel will be held on October 31 while the next day November 1 will see the culmination of the statehood celebrations he added PTI TKP NP NP